Vessels such as boats and ships oftentimes contain internal electrical power generation and distribution systems which supply the vessel needs while underway. However in port it is common for such vessels to be connected to external supply known in common parlance, and in these specifications, as ‘shore power’. The concept of connecting to external power is not limited to marine vessels, and other vessels, such as aircrafts, trucks, recreational vehicles such as road transportable dwellings, and even specialized containers such as refrigerated containers, utilize cables as shore, or utility, power connection.
In common parlance shore, or utility, power cables are referred to as ‘cords’. A cord has a connector, colloquially known as a ‘plug’ on each end, for coupling to matching receptacles. Notably oftentimes the connection is carried out by cables that are heavy and bulky. Generally there are two different types of plugs, a Male and a Female type, however in these specifications no distinction is made and the term plug may relate to either a male or a female plug, or to a combination thereof, and the cord may have any desired plug type on each end.
Storing, deploying, retrieving, and handling of cords cause significant inconvenience. The cords tend to bend and sometimes get tangled during these activities and storage. Deployment is also inconvenient as it requires untangling and drawing the cord from the receptacle supplying the energy (referred to as supply receptacle hereinunder) to a receptacle mounted on or in the vessel (referred to as vessel connector hereinunder) and then organizing the length of unused cord at a selected place along the cord length.
Cable reels are well known in the art, and are generally constructed of a handle or a housing, and a hub rotatably mounted thereto. The hub has two opposing sides extending radially beyond the hub outer dimensions. One end of the cord (referred to as the proximal end hereinafter), is laid in the reel and the reel is rotated about the housing, whereby the length of the cord is coiled about the hub. Certain reel sides have an opening to allow the plug at the proximal end of the cord (referred to hereinunder as the proximal plug) to be located outside reel, or to allow better coiling of the cord. The opposite end of the cord, and the corresponding plug shall be referred to hereinunder as the distal end and the distal plug respectively. Notably the term ‘end’ should be construed to include the actual end of the cord, and the cord portion adjacent thereto.
While conventional cable reels ease cable management solution for storage and deployment, they suffer from several shortcomings: firstly, as the hub is occupied by the rotating mechanism, the proximal plug must protrude from the reel side, or be enclosed by the cord which is rolled around and above it. When the proximal plug protrudes, it is exposed to mechanical injury, or may cause an injury or get entangled during cord deployment. Moreover, in order to connect the plug to the receptacle, a short length of cord (referred to hereinunder as the standing part of the cord) is required to cover the distance between the receptacle and the reel. If such a standing part is left outside the reel, it will move wildly due to the rotation of the reel, entangling and endangering humans, equipment, and the cord and plug itself.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,697 to Kovacik et al. teaches an extension cord reel disposed in a carrying case formed of two cup-shaped halves, the reel which also include two halves include a pair of duplex outlets and a circuit breaker. A cord is reeled onto the reel, the cord having a plug on one end and the other end is permanently coupled to the outlets, and cannot be accessed while the reel is assembled. The outlets are rotatable with the reel, and no access is provided to the compartment in which the outlets are mounted. Thus the Kovacik Patent does not offer the ability to extend a plug and a standing part of the cord for connection to the vessel or the shore receptacle.
There is therefore a clear and heretofore unanswered need for a cord management solution that would store and protect the cord, allow easy deployment and retraction, and provide for easy connection between the plugs and receptacles, without requiring unspooling of the whole length of cord.